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A new Skype-like feature is being introduced to the networks messenger mobile application, reports Perthnow.com.
Called the ‘free call’ feature, Facebook is currently testing it on American users to phone each other over a wi-fi connection, avoiding carrier call charges.
The service can be availed only by users who have free-call enabled Messenger installed on their iPhone.
Users cannot call friends logged in through website or landline or even other mobile phones.
A Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying that the company is looking to expand the service overseas as well.
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Right now might be the best time to book a cruise. Wait. What?!
We know, it doesn’t make sense at first glance. Between the health crisis and not knowing exactly when cruise lines will sail again, there is a ton of uncertainty in booking right now.
Add to that the fact that no one knows exactly what cruising will look like when it does return.
There have been some cruise lines announcing changes, which include measures such as social distancing, more cleaning around the ship, and more medical resources.
Questions remain, however, about many details — including recommendations for masks and what will happen with healthy passengers if another person on the ship gets sick.
But like an investor who takes advantage of uncertainty in the stock market, it could be that right now marks a great time to book a cruise.
In fact, there are actually some good arguments that it’s a great time to buy. But that’s only if you have flexibility and are comfortable sailing when cruises do come back.
Here’s what’s working in your favor right now…
There Are Decent Cruise Deals Out There
When the pandemic hit, it seemed a no-brainer that cruise prices would plummet in an effort to fill up ships. However, that actually doesn’t seem to be the case. While some prices have dropped, others have actually risen.
In fact, Royal Caribbean recently said in a financial disclosure that their prices have slightly increased.
Even so, for deal hunters, there are a number of inexpensive cruises out there.
A quick search of Carnival shows dozens of sailings (three and four-day trips) running under $130 per person. In fact, some short sailings are even priced under $100. Norwegian has trips starting at $149 per person, including week-long cruises priced at $400.
We’ve even found Alaskan cruises for next summer starting around $350 for a five-day trip, and in the $500-$600 range for a week-long sailing. Those are low prices for this normally pricey itinerary.
Not every cruise is a steal, but there are definitely some deals out there — including cruises that sail well into the future once the pandemic is hopefully past us.
Cruise Ships Might Be Cleaner Than Ever
Of course, there is a big worry about getting sick when cruises start back sailing, just as there is a worry about getting sick anywhere that there are groups of people.
But if this virus continues to be with us year after year — as many experts have predicted — then there might not be a more sanitary time to sail than right after cruises get back sailing.
Cruise lines are still finalizing details, but there is no doubt that big changes are coming to sailing. Among the things announced by some lines already:
- Medical grade air filtration on the ship
- Temperature screenings for all passengers and crew
- Ending self-service food stations (buffets)
- Increased sanitation of all areas of the ship
- Social distancing on the ship, including in places like the pool and casino
- Masks required of the crew while interacting with passengers
- Increased hand sanitation stations
- Fewer staterooms available for booking to decrease crowd sizes
In addition to these changes, expect the staff to be vigilant about cleanliness. But your fellow passengers should be more cognizant of things like hand-washing and social distancing on the ship right when cruises return.
No, it will never be as safe as simply staying at home, but we think it’s reasonable to expect ships to be their most hygienic right at the start when everyone is on high alert.
Cruise Lines Are Offering Friendly Cancellation Policies
In normal times, cruise lines have some fairly strict cancellation policies. While it varies from line to line and the length of your cruise, you can normally cancel up to 90 days before your cruise to get your money back.
From there, the penalties for cancelling can grow quickly. Cancel less than 30 days before your cruise and your entire fare could be lost.
In the face of this crisis, however, some cruise lines have eased up on those penalties. Royal Caribbean, for example, lets you cancel up to 48 hours before you sail for a credit on a future sailing. The only requirement is that you book the cruise before August 1, 2020 and that it sails before May 1, 2022.
Norwegian offers a similar program, which applies on all cruises through November 30, 2020.
While these programs have been extended since they were first put in place, there’s no telling if they will be extended again. Booking sooner rather than later will actually give you more flexibility if you decide that you don’t want to cruise closer to the sail date.
If a Trip Is Cancelled, You Should Be Compensated Well
While cruise lines have said they plan to return to sailing soon, previous return dates have been moved and more cruises cancelled. Until a cruise actually leaves the dock with passengers on it, we can’t be 100% sure when trips will begin sailing again.
The good news is if you book a trip and it’s cancelled, the major cruise lines are being generous in their refunds for passengers. Typically you can opt for either a full refund or cruise credit that’s worth more than what you paid.
Carnival, for instance, offers a 100% cruise credit, plus hundreds of dollars in onboard credit for rebooking a cruise. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are offering 125% cruise credit for future trips if you rebook instead of opting for a refund.
According to financial reports, about half of passengers are choosing to get the credit and half are choosing a full refund.
Only Book If You’re Comfortable
There’s no doubt that there’s less certainty about booking a cruise right now than in normal times. If you’re someone with health problems, or concerned about getting sick, there’s no harm in waiting to decide to book. There will still be plenty of opportunity to sail in the months and years ahead.
That said, many people can’t wait to cruise again. Cruise lines have announced that their booking statistics show a strong appetite for sailings. With everything from more passenger-friendly cancellation policies to higher cleanliness standards, a number of good deals and even generous offers if your cruise is cancelled, there’s actually a lot to like about reserving your trip in the near future.
It’s certainly not for everyone, but those who are willing to take advantage have a number of benefits in their favor.

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drupa was a somewhat overwhelming experience, but it was clear that package printing is a growing market. The show has also seen plenty of label-related launches; a full review will be published in L&L issue 3, 2012.
On the show floor, the view of the industry and its future seemed positive. A spokesperson for Kodak commented: ‘Everyone thinks the future for print is in daily life.’ While many of us are moving away from printed books in favor of digital formats, we continue to need everyday items such as food and drink, as well home and personal care products. For these products, nothing can replace the label and packaging. Even where QR codes and other interactive innovations have been adopted, the label still has a place to display this link to the ‘virtual world’, as well as vital product information. The threat will come as commercial printers die out and look to move into labels.
Returning to the subject of using the label as a marketing tool, it was pleasing to hear there was a large presence from brand owners wandering the exhibition halls – evidence they are increasingly aware of the benefits the label can offer their brand. Jeanine Graat, global marketing manager at Apex, noted that brand owners are now contacting the company directly. This is a positive sign that the entire packaging supply chain is beginning to connect and work together.
Carol Houghton, journalist, L&L


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We've all heard about the new £5 notes and the trial £1 coins selling for thousands online, but what about valuable 50p coins?
According to coin experts at Change Checker, the rarer the coin the more valuable it is, and right now there are seven 50p coins in circulation that are classed as 'scarce'.
Their website has created a scarcity index which tracks 54 circulating 50p coins based on their worth. Check it out if you've a jar full of silvers stashed away somewhere.
The rarest of them all - the Kew Gardens design – is worth up to £185 on auction websites (in mint condition) but, it's not the only one collectors are willing to pay a lot more than just simply face value for.
But which coins should be put in the piggy bank and which should be put on Ebay?
Philip Mussell, the director of Coin News said: "Sometimes, a mistake is made by the Royal Mint, like a 20p without a date, for example, or a 1983 2p coin accidentally printed with the old wording 'New Pence'. Mistakes are eminently collectable.
"Other collectibles are redesigns or limited edition releases. For example, an Olympic 50p with a swimmer was recently re-released."
He added: "The first minting had a swimmer with waves obscuring her face but the designer didn't want that, so they unobscured her face and made it clear of wavy lines. That's now quite collectable."


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Acer taps new chairman to reverse PC maker's decline
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's Acer Inc on Wednesday said it has appointed co-founder and board member George Huang as new chairman, tasked with overseeing the recovery of the PC maker's near-dominant position in a shrinking industry.
Huang, an Acer veteran who has served in various roles, was in November appointed executive secretary of the "transformation committee" whose remit was to reverse persistent losses brought about by smartphones and tablets taking demand away from PCs.
Acer, the world's No.4 PC maker by shipments, has since launched an aggressive push into cloud computing to reverse its fortunes, though the strategy puts it up against leaders Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc.
Acer announced Huang's appointment after the PC maker's annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday. He will succeed co-founder Stan Shih who came out of retirement in November to lead a restructuring effort that welcomed a new chief executive and chief financial officer.
At the AGM, Shih said without elaborating that he would continue to participate in Acer's reform. In a statement afterwards, he called Huang "instrumental in driving the company restructuring and in helping to develop our new vision."
Huang in the same statement said Acer needs to "build on the foundations of our existing PC, tablet, smartphone and other hardware products to strengthen overall product competitiveness."
Also at the AGM, Chief Executive Jason Chen said devices such as Google's Chromebook and so-called 2-in-1 notebook PCs are stimulating otherwise moribund PC demand.
Chen, however, also said overall PC industry performance this year "won't be spectacular."
The company, formerly the world's No.2 PC vendor, suffered a 20.2 percent decline in PC shipments during the first three months of this year, compared with a market decline of 4.4 percent, according to researcher IDC.
(Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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USB devices such as mice, keyboards and thumb-drives can be used to hack into personal computers in a potential new class of attacks that evade all known security protections, a top computer researcher revealed on Thursday. Full Article
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Microsoft ordered by U.S. judge to submit customer's emails from abroad. Full Article


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Blog: The just-drinks Weekly Round-Up
Olly Wehring | 21 October 2013
On just-drinks last week:
- And, the numbers kept rolling in. In soft drinks, the two big guys posted their third-quarter and year-to-date numbers. While The Coca-Cola Co saw its nine-month sales and profits dip, PepsiCo was left to toast growth in both in the period. In North America, however, the two suffered contrasting fortunes again, this time in the opposite direction.
- SABMiller issued a trading update for its half-year that showed volumes and sales improve slightly in the period. While the brewer may be dealing with issues in the short-term, the longer-term future for the company looks good, according to one analyst.
- In spirits, Diageo issued a trading update soon after its investor conference, which considered the potential offered by Africa, drew to a close on Tuesday. Meanwhile, returning spirits commentator Richard Woodard cast his eye over Bacardi’s latest global push for the Grey Goose vodka brand, as deputy editor James Wilmore sat down with the man himself, Bacardi’s CEO Ed Shirley.
- In wine, the spotlight was shone on the growing influence of Hispanic consumers in the US. Could the Latino population hold the key for unlocking the world’s most important wine market?
just-drinks is in Cannes this week, at the annual TFWA World Exhibition for the travel retail channel. Take a look here for our preview of the event and, if you’re down on the Riviera, drop us a line to arrange a meet-up.
Heineken is gearing up for a product launch in Australia this month. But exactly what the product is, the brewer is not saying....
It's Summer in the northern hemisphere and the beer festivals are in full swing. Even the famously secluded North Korea is letting its regulation-cut hair down with the Taedonggang Beer Festival, name...
Drinks companies that use celebrities and influencers to endorse products via social media could be in line for some rule changes....
A couple of months ago, US-based Saltwater Brewery developed 'edible six-pack rings' in an effort to curb threats to wildlife....
- Job cuts not the whole story at AB InBev - Comment
- The decline of the flagship beer brand - Comment
- Diageo's smart Seedlip sustainability move
- Craft spirits shake-out will be just the beginning
- Pernod Ricard Q4/FY 2016 results - Preview
- Diageo revamps Gordon's gin bottle in UK
- AB InBev to cull 5,500 jobs after SABMiller buy
- Pernod deal rescues Corby's FY
- Heineken unveils new mid-strength lager Heineken 3
- CEO Paul Schaafsma set to leave Accolade Wines
- The Next Seven Big Beverage Markets
- Global rum insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global RTD insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Adultifying Soft Drinks; Capitalizing on rising adult demand for non-alcoholic beverages
- Carlsberg AS (CARL B) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review


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Alien discovers Northumberland thanks to Big Local App
A taxi driver has teamed up with a 7ft tall alien who needs help finding his way around Northumberland.
Andrew Park, who runs Park’s Taxis in Seahouses, is working with BLA the alien to launch his new business, Big Local App Northumberland. The unlikely pair are visiting businesses across the county to encourage them to sign up to the new resource, which is a mine of information for local people and visitors coming to the county on holiday.
Big Local App contains everything you need to know about life in Northumberland, from local news and council information to sports centre opening times and facilities, tourist and arts information and a business directory. The information, which is free to download on a smart phone, is fully searchable and users can also take advantage of money-off vouchers for shops, sports and leisure facilities across the county.
Andrew said: “Big Local App was invented by a UK web developer and is a brilliant resource. I saw the idea on a website and decided to take on the franchise because it’s just what we need in Northumberland, whether you live here or want to make the most of your visit.
“Imagine the racks of leaflets you see in hotel and B&B receptions – the Big Local App actually replaces all of those. It’s like having hundreds of leaflets in your pocket that you can access from your phone or mobile tablet device.”
Smart phones are increasingly the tools of choice for people looking for information on the go. There are currently around 31 million smart phones in the UK, with iPhone and Android covering 92% of the market at the end of 2012. Mobile devices were responsible for 50% of internet access in 2011, and that number is only set to increase. Other interesting stats show that 95% of Smartphone users search for local information with 88% taking action within the same day. For business related searches, 61% will then follow up the search with a phone call and 59% will physically visit a business. A staggering 9 out of 10 Smartphone user have taken action after a Smartphone search.
Andrew said: “Everyone has become more and more dependent on their smart phones and in future, this is the method people will turn to first to find out information – especially when they are out and about.”
He is now working with BLA the alien to sign up Northumberland firms to the Big Local App business directory, where they have the option of creating their own mini-app to highlight their services and communicate with their customers.
“I’m hoping to grow the Big Local App so it becomes a top choice for tourists coming to Northumberland and at the same time helps local companies to win extra business,” said Andrew.
“This really is the future of finding local information at your fingertips.”
BLA is FREE to download from the Appstore and Google Play now.
This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Keith Newman .
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India has created ‘perverse incentives’ for firms to stay small. Here's how to fix it
Incentives meant to help Indian SMEs have an unintended and undesirable result. Most small businesses start small and stay small throughout their life. They do not want to grow.
Mastercard invests in Instamojo to help small businesses go digital
Mastercard says the Instamojo funding is aimed at digitising and scaling ...
Mastercard partners with Instamojo to help MSMEs, gig workers
Mastercard also created an initiative, Team Cashless India, to educate and upsk...
Instamojo forays into e-commerce sector, aims at powering 100k DTC brands by year-end
The new e-commerce platform will help simplify the process of taking an offline business to the digital format.
Upskilling has become a priority for SMEs in 2021: Report
The pandemic brought in some unprecedented changes that impacted several industries across the economy, the MSME sector being one of the worst hit.
Instamojo closes Pre-Series C funding round from Base, Gunosy Capital
In recent months, Instamojo introduced ways of going digital through their ‘Priority KYC’, ‘Sachet loans on Whatsapp’ and ‘InstaCash’ features which enabled merchants to go online and get instant access to loans.
Instamojo launches InstaCash to solve the liquidity challenge for MSMEs
The company has also introduced mojoPlus which enables merchants to earn points on transactions and redeem it to avail discounts on Instamojo fees.
Micro-entrepreneurs get going when it gets tough
While this economy is likely to see a boost in the coming months, businesses around it, including payments and insurance, will also grow, experts said.
From HomeLane to Instamojo, startups go for pay cuts over layoffs
A host of small and mid-sized startups in home design, fintech, and e-commerce that ET spoke to did not anticipate job cuts even as some of them said they were reducing spend on marketing, putting employees on paid furlough, and giving out lower increments.
Measures that can boost MSMEs during Covid-19 lockdown
As the RBI pumps in more cash into the banking sector, deferring or relieving the MSMEs of loan repayments could come as a welcome move. Most businesses are looking for financial support from the government and doing this can help them cope with cash flow problems.
Yes Bank customers scramble for cash withdrawal at branches, most ATMs run dry
A Delhi-based customer said he was able to withdraw limited cash of about Rs 3,000-4000 only from an ATM.
Paytm takes a dig on PhonePe over Yes Bank restrictions
"Inviting you to @PaytmBank #UPI platform. It already has huge adoption and can seamlessly scale manifold to handle your business. Let's get you back up, fast!," Paytm Payments Bank tweeted. PhonePe shot back to say that Paytm Payments Bank platform is not seamlessly scalable otherwise the company would have themselves approached it.
Instamojo acquires Times Internet-owned digital commerce startup GetMeAShop
The acquisition will allow Instamojo, which was founded in 2012, to provide ecommerce solutions, as well as logistics and lending products to MSMEs, both of which it had launched over the last two years, under the brand names MojoXpress and and MojoCapital, respectively.
ETRise Top MSMEs Ranking: Need a data rich India to jumpstart MSMEs financial inclusion
At the recent discussion about the state of MSMEs in the country, experts believed that the SME community is so entangled that they believe one another easily, which eventually discourages them to take steps towards formalisation.
Building financial history records is must for MSMEs to address capital woes, say experts
Amit Kumar, Founder & CEO of MSMEx, a micro advisory platform for MSMEs said that unless MSMEs don’t build data of their past financial records, authenticity and credibility for lending platforms will continue to prove elusive.
Internet is a great leveller and doesn’t differentiate, says Instamojo’s Sampad Swain
The internet, Swain said, witnessed a change in user patterns from 2008-09 onwards when it started becoming relevant from a business point of view and not just from a consumer standpoint.
Instamojo boss is a bibliophile, reveals how a number trick helps him finish books in 6-7 hrs
Sampad Swain says that he takes almost 1.5 minutes to finish reading every page.
Cricket keeps Instamojo CEO in shape, and Fitbit helps him track fitness stats
Sampad Swain also believes that Jon Krakauer's 'Into The Wild' is a reflection of his life.
MSME focused platform Instamojo makes NEFT transfers free for its sellers
With this launch, sellers will not have to pay any fee or charge for doing online transactions through NEFT through Instamojo platform.


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In his newest comic “Cyberpunk: Peach John,” manga writer Rootport pictures the Japanese mythology hero Momotaro — that is actually stated towards have actually been actually birthed coming from a huge peach — residing in a dystopian potential. However while the author produced the story as well as discussion, his sci-fi-inspired images was actually created completely through expert system.
As a matter of fact, the 37-year-old has actually never ever attracted a comic manually. agen bola terpercaya
The publishing home responsible for the function, Shinchosha, thinks that “Cyberpunk: Peach John” is actually the world’s very initial finish AI manga function. For sale in Japan coming from Thursday, it was actually detailed utilizing Midjourney, an on the internet picture generator that can easily create outlined photos based upon users’ triggers. situs agen bola
Towards produce the boards, Tokyo-based Rootport went into a string of text message summaries, which he after that fine-tuned utilizing experimentation, towards produce pictures that matched his story. cyberpunk peach
Talking to CNN through e-mail, the confidential writer, that utilizes the pen label Rootport because of personal privacy issues, stated he finished the operate in simply 6 full weeks. Covering greater than one hundred web webpages as well as — unlike numerous manga magazines — made completely shade, a job of this particular range will take control of a year towards finish manually, he approximated.
On the internet AI imaging devices such as Midjourney, DALL-E 2, Steady Diffusion as well as Google’s Imagen have actually exploded in appeal because they ended up being openly offered in 2015. However they stay in their early stage, significance that the writer in some cases had a hard time towards create exactly just what he referred to as “the ideal picture for a particular culture.”
For something, Midjourney was actually unable towards straight duplicate current personalities in brand-brand new positions or even along with various face looks. To obtain about this, Rootport provided his personalities distinguishing characteristics (like fuchsia hair, canine ears or even a reddish robe) that will assist visitors acknowledge personalities as the tale progresses.
“(But) also in famous manga jobs, it is actually prevalent for the sign illustrations towards vary in between the start as well as completion of the collection,” he discussed.


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The Kampala Art Biennale (KAB) challenges to make people understand how visual arts are useful to change our societies and change our minds. This idea is central to the EU Delegation’s support in presenting yet again, another edition of the KAB, following a successful partnership two years ago as part of actions to mark the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage. Preparations for the latest edition appeared to go as smoothly as the previous ones: eight internationally renowned artists were invited to create artworks in their specialised field, jointly with selected apprentices and then suddenly, Covid-19 happened. As a result, the KAB20 was forced to find a creative way to continue the journey yet cope with restrictions imposed worldwide by the pandemic. The result: a virtual art exhibition like no other!
Masters and apprentices have worked together in virtual spaces through zoom calls and what’s-app groups, engaging in online debates, sharing online resources, recordings, documentation, visualisations etc. Web developers, creative thinkers, 3D experts and digital artists have been mobilised to create a unique virtual art exhibition.
The KAB is a landmark event across the Kampala art scene, presenting fantastic potential in the creative industry, particularly for the youth. The result is a work of art in itself: online visitors are engaged in a lively journey, which is a very new experience. They enter virtual buildings; they will virtually climb on rooftops, virtually run through corridors, and virtually reach the peak of a journey on top of an apex mountain.
The EU Delegation is also particularly pleased to highlight that behind the virtual exhibition is an incredible team of young and courageous Ugandans who have made it against all odds. Thanks to them, the KAB20 is the only virtual 3-D biennale on the continent, as other African biennales have been postponed due to Covid-19. This is a good example to underline how important it is for governments to ensure online access, especially at a time when physical meetings and events are restricted for health reasons.
Besides the art exhibition, the KAB2020 includes dedicated workshops for young people in less privileged areas, such as Bwaise and Kiryandongo. The objective of these workshops, under the KAB20 theme “Get up Stand up” seeks to improve young people’s self-awareness about their role in society. In compliance with Covid-19 restrictions, 50 young people have been able to attend each workshop. Through art, dance and brainstorming, the young are encouraged to express themselves and find their own strength to address everyday problems they encounter. In turn, they are expected to share these skills with their peers.
We invite you to enter the virtual journey that the Kampala Art Biennale 2020 presents.


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Christmas is pretty much a month away, so if you haven’t figured out what presents you’re buying, you might want to start now. And with online shopping more popular than ever, Australia Post is bracing for the festive season with extended trading hours in post offices around the country. To keep up with the demand, twilight deliveries have also started in Melbourne and Perth. So, when you’re doing your Black Friday shopping this week, spare a thought for your local postie.
Australia Post pulls out all the stops this Christmas
Last December, Australia Post delivered a massive 52 million parcels. And now, with over 10 million parcels delivered every week, Aus Post expects to smash this record. New services and rapid recruitment are being used to keep up, and to ensure that parcels are delivered across the country on time.
From November 27 onwards, over 380 retail outlets across the country will have extended trading hours.
“Many of our Post Offices have also extended their opening times to provide our customers greater flexibility with their sending and receiving in the lead up to the big day,” said Rod Barnes, Australia Post Executive General Manager Deliveries.
In Melbourne and Perth, twilight deliveries will see posties working after hours. In the last few weeks, almost 300 drivers were specifically recruited to hit the roads until the early evening.
“We expect our twilight service to help us deliver an additional 25,000 parcels per day in these two cities alone,” said Barnes. “So if you hear one of our drivers roll up perhaps just as you’re getting home, don’t be surprised.”
Lockdowns across the country have heightened the demand for online shopping. In October, 5.7 million households were shopping online, which was an almost 15 per cent increase from 2020.
As a result, Australia Post is prepared to face its “biggest Christmas ever”.
“We have invested in many areas to help increase our capacity, including chartering extra planes, putting more vehicles on the road, recruiting more than 5,000 new team members, and opening new permanent and temporary facilities to manage the volume,” said Barnes.
When is the cut-off for sending a Christmas delivery?
Here are the recommended cut-off dates from Aus Post.
Parcels sent from or delivered to anywhere in Australia except WA and NT must be posted by December 13. If you’re using express post, the cut-off date is December 20.
Meanwhile, if you are sending to or from WA and NT, parcels must be posted by December 8. If you’re using express post, the cut-off date is December 15.
Cards and letters
If you’re sending Christmas cards or letters to someone who lives in the same state, the cut-off date is Monday December 20.
However, if you’re sending cards or letters interstate, the cut-off date is Thursday December 16.For more details, click here.


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Today is August 1st. August 1st! Summer’s last month is upon us and digital and social marketers are getting more and more insightful the hotter it gets. From hot dogs to real estate, we’ve had a lot of fun this week dissecting the brands enjoying a busy season. Here’s a
92% of Americans buy hot dogs. With 7 billion of those wieners consumed between Memorial Day and Labor Day, hot dog brands across the country have been ramping up their digital efforts to reach consumers this summer. Using the Crowdly platform, we sought out to find what brand has been
When it comes to building brand awareness through sports sponsorships, the true value isn’t in the flashy television spots or naming rights of professional stadiums. The benefits are instead connecting and building relationships with the enthusiastic and loyal fanbases. For Alaska Airlines, the passionate NFL and MLS fans of the
This was a big week in rebranding. Airbnb and Marvel Superhero Thor both unveiled their new looks. And while one is widely considered to look like testicles (see also: this and this), the other is very clearly without. But why rebrand now? With Airbnb recently valued at $10 billion and
The quote: “For Mercedes-Benz, its competition isn’t Audi, Lexus, or BMW. ‘We have to look at the best out there in customer experience like Nordstrom, Zappos, and Four Seasons,” Stephen Cannon, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz USA said. “Those are our competitors because we know that our customers consume those experiences and
The quote: “Kraft has taken a strategic approach to its World Cup-themed effort, deemed Flavors of the Championship, or Sabores del Campeonato, looking to data reflecting social commentary and search trends to inform recipes they suggest in emails, Facebook posts and on YouTube.” – Kate Kaye (AdAge)
Why it matters: Kraft is
The success of any great BBQ depends on the devotion of the Grill Master, the spirited controller of the flame whose presence keeps the crowd fed and engaged throughout the afternoon.
Much like that Grill Master, the strength of a brand’s Facebook community is dependent on its advocates, those passionate individuals who
It’s June 30th, which means it’s the fifth annual Social Media Day! The good people of Mashable launched the event in 2010 to “recognize the digital revolution” and it’s a tradition we’re happy to see still going strong. Here’s a list of all events going on here in Boston throughout the day
The quote: “Consumers are drawn to social media because they want to take part in the conversation and make connections. But many companies continue to treat social media as a one-way communication vehicle and are largely focused on how they can use these sites to push their marketing agendas. To
With 84% of automotive shoppers on Facebook, and 24% of them having used Facebook as a resource for making their vehicle purchase, auto brands are smart to engage in a frequent and timely manner with their fans on Facebook.
The last game the U.S. National Team played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup


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Now that they've voted to defund Planned Parenthood and NPR, an "emboldened" Republican House majority has embarked on another sleazy mission: Relax new safety regulations aimed at protecting children. The New York Times reports that the manufacturers of children's products are fighting the creation of a public database that would allow people to search through injury reports for items like strollers and cribs. They're also against new regulations requiring third-party testing of the lead content in products used by children.
Now Republicans in the House of Representative are taking up their cause. Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas has already blocked financing for the consumer products database, which was set to go live in three weeks, saying the project needs to be modified to protect manufacturers from bogus complaints.
According to Rick Locker, a lawyer who represents many of the manufacturing groups, they support the concepts behind the law, but disagree with "the language Congress chose to implement the concepts." Under the current law all items used by children, even books and bicycles, must be tested for lead. Locker says it makes more sense to limit lead testing to items that kids are likely to ingest. (Kids ingesting bicycle parts may sound unlikely, but we're confident that they'd find a way.) There are also some who say third-party lead testing is too expensive and should be eliminated altogether, even in light of millions of toys being recalled in 2007 due to lead paint.
As with the Republican budget cuts, it seems unlikely that these efforts to relax child safety regulations will make it past the Senate. But at least now we know House Republicans are being consistent in their efforts to put their own interests ahead of the well-being of children.


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More than one third of Americans (36%) don’t feel a need for mobile payment apps, compared to 12% of Mexicans and 13% of Chileans, according to mobile banking service Fintonic. 23% of Americans don’t trust the technology, compared to 4% of Mexicans and 6% of Chileans. “Latin American countries such as Chile and Mexico are much more willing to embrace technological advancements in banking like mobile wallets,” the company says.
- ExxonMobil to combine NFC and QR mobile payments at the pump
- BBVA begins global rollout of mobile-first credit cards
- Visa lets merchants in 15 countries accept contactless payments on standard NFC phones
- Shenzhen residents spend nearly 9m digital yuan during CBDC pilot
- Six in ten US merchants now accept contactless payments
This article is more than four years old
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Shipley Do-Nuts Coming to Georgia
Shipley Do-Nuts is an iconic Texas do-nut brand that is expanding into Georgia in 2022. The company has been making gourmet, made-fresh-daily do-nut for over 85 years. The brand recently signed a deal to open 30 additional locations. The first in Georgia will be in Duluth, later this year.
History of Shipley Do-Nuts
Shipley Do-Nuts was founded in Houston, Texas back in 1936. They have more than 60 varieties of their fresh-made do-nuts. In addition to their plain glazed do-nuts and other varieties, they also have coffee, kolaches, cinnamon rolls, bear claws and more.
Expansion of Shipley Do-Nuts
The company is rapidly expanding their brand across the Southeast, including recent addition in South Carolina. The CEO of Shipley, Clifton Rutledge, calls these recent additions “an important milestone for our growth strategy.” Rutledge adds, “We welcome our new Georgia franchisees to the Shipley family and are counting the days until our first Georgia shop opens.
Franchisees Behind Shipley Do-Nuts Expansion in Georgia
There are two franchise groups involved in the expansion of Shipley Do-Nuts. The two signed an agreement back in mid-March to open up to 25 locations. One of the franchisees is from the Atlanta-area, but discovered Shipley Do-Nuts when he moved to Dallas. He recognized the brand love that Shipley’s has in Texas and immediately knew he wanted to help grow that brand in other locations.
The other franchisee was introduced to the brand through his brother who had moved to Texas and couldn’t stop raving about the do-nuts. As an investor, he was looking to expand his portfolio and saw the Shipley expansion as a great opportunity.
Shipley Do-Nuts’ growth is happening at a fast-pace, with agreements in place for more than 350 new locations over the next 5 years.
The company is looking for additional franchisees in new markets, as well as exsisting. For more information, visit their website.
We’re hoping they add a location in the Augusta area! Just recently, we also learned that the Canadian brand Tim Horton’s is adding locations in Georgia. Would you rather have a Shipley Do-Nuts or Tim Hortons in Georgia?


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The owners of Barley Mow Brewing Co. plan to add a 20,000-square-foot production facility to their existing nano brewery and tavern in Largo by late summer.
Barley Mow offers 25 to 35 varieties of small batch beer throughout the year. Jay and Colleen Dingman operate a 2,000-square-foot facility and 1,200-square-foot beer garden at 518 West Bay Drive.
In February, they paid $950,000 for an industrial building at 521 Commerce Drive, a few blocks away.
They financed the purchase through an SBA loan, savings and by offering about 15 percent of equity in the business.
Many of the shareholders are regular customers, Jay Dingman said.
By opening the production facility, they will be able to distribute their beer on a larger scale. Dingman would like to have a presence in every market in Florida within three years.
The debut of Barley Mow in 2011 coincided with a rise in popularity of craft beers.
Craft brewers sold an estimated 15.6 million barrels of beer in 2013, up from 13.2 million barrels the previous year, according to the Brewers Association, a nonprofit trade association in Boulder, Colo.
“Our timing was outstanding,” Dingman said. “What I was hoping would happen is happening. It’s happening quicker than I thought it would.”


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Dealers throughout the world are navigating the electric vehicle landscape. So, on today’s episode of Inside Automotive, we’re joined by Doug Eroh, President and General Manager of Longo Toyota. Eroh elaborates on how things are going for the biggest Toyota dealership along California’s west coast.
In 1967, Dominic Longo established Longo Toyota in a little shop in the City of El Monte. The team of five worked tirelessly to attain achievement. After selling 469 new and used cars in its first year, Longo Toyota rose to the top of the national volume Toyota dealership rankings. Longo has maintained its #1 rating year after year and continues to expand, set, and break sales records nationwide.
1. Longo Toyota has increased its brand loyalty due to its refusal to charge more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, or MSRP. Eroh believes this will lead to a robust fourth quarter.
2. “The used car market has been interesting,” asserts Eroh. The run-up demand in per-owned value has begun to drop as the dealership experiences a Q2 decline and a cooling vehicle inventory.
3. Owing to the challenges facing the industry, “We are now keeping the trade-in vehicles with higher mileage for as long as possible, and we are ensuring our certified cars program expands to the non-certified vehicles because we have outstanding cars,” says Eroh.
4. When it comes to EVs, Eroh looks at it through the lens of Toyota: Electrification comes in many forms. Toyota has a portfolio of electrified vehicles, from hybrids, plug-in hybrids, full-battery electric cars, and electric vehicles. According to numbers, 38% of the dealership’s sales were for electrified models. Moreover, battery-electric vehicles comprised only 3% to 4% of sales, which reflects the current demand for the country’s EVs.
5. Consumers want EVs for environmental reasons, but they also want them to be affordable. Toyota has demonstrated a strong understanding of affordability through leasing-assisted software. Currently, Longo Toyota leases 60% of the electric cars they offer.
6. Longo Toyota is actively involved in the community. The dealership recently acquired the rare and unique GR Corrolla. Although the vehicle’s MSRP was $52,000, they raised $90,000 at auction. They donated the earnings to two organizations. The first is the neighborhood school system, which runs an auto shop program, and the other is Vision to Learn, a charity that provides children in need free glasses.
“BEVs are here; we’re selling them, but maybe the demand isn’t where the industry or government officials thought it would be.” – Doug Eroh


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France Encourages Use Of Transparent Masks To Help Those With Hearing Loss
Suzy Margueron, a retiree in Paris, usually walks five miles a day, so she knew something was wrong when she barely had the energy to make it to the grocery store in the spring. As it turned out, she was infected with COVID-19. She spent a week collapsed on her couch in March.
Even after recovering, the effects of the pandemic continue to create particular challenges for her. That's because Margueron lost nearly all of her hearing as a young woman — and trying to communicate with people wearing face masks makes daily life exceedingly difficult.
"It's a drama for all the hard-of-hearing people," she explains. "I can hear your voice and understand you if I can read your lips. But if you have a mask, I can't understand anything. It's horrible. I must guess. All the time, I must guess."
Face masks are now ubiquitous in France. They're mandatory indoors and outside in many cities like Paris. Masks have proven effective in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. But they make everyday tasks like grocery shopping challenging for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Most communicate via written and spoken French, as opposed to a much smaller number who rely on sign language.
With 6 million people — some 10% of the population — malentendant, or hard of hearing, in France, the government has been pushing to find a solution.
Since the spring, the government has encouraged companies to produce more transparent masks, and in some cases has subsidized some of the cost difference between making a regular mask and a transparent mask.
In her office, Sophie Cluzel, the secretary of state in charge of disability issues, demonstrates one of the transparent masks whose production the government is encouraging. The protection, also known in France as an "inclusive mask," consists of a clear plastic panel stitched between two pieces of fabric. Breathable material covers the nostrils, but the mouth is visible.
"It's a protection, but it's also a communication tool," Cluzel tells NPR. "And now we have three that have passed all the tests and can be produced in France. Like this, we can equip, for example, teachers who have deaf pupils — or speech therapists, they need it. But they're also good just to see the smile, for example, when you're an old person."
Cluzel says for now, the transparent masks are expensive — around $12 each — but they can be washed 25 times. And when production increases, she says, prices will come down. The French government hopes that 100,000 masks will soon be produced every month.
Since the first days of the pandemic, when the country did not have enough masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment, the French government has made it a priority to keep control over the production of sanitary supplies.
Margueron, who advocates for people like herself with hearing loss, likes to gather with friends in Paris' Luxembourg Gardens, where they can take off their masks and speak freely.
On a recent day, they recount the difficulty of life with face masks. Françoise de Brugada says even health care professionals like pharmacists sometimes refuse to lift their masks, even though they are behind a protective plastic barrier.
Brugada says difficulties in comprehension are not just about reading lips.
"It's all the muscles of the face, and the eyes and the nose and the expressions," she says. "You can see all that moving, and it makes you understand much more."
Everyone in this group in the Luxembourg Gardens has a transparent mask. But they say it's others who need to wear them.
Christophe Bertrand is trying to make that happen with an affordable see-through mask. His Simon company, which normally produces other plastic products such as cases and folders, has patented a transparent mask with prices ranging between 25 cents and 40 cents each.
Bertrand has sold 25,000 transparent masks to customers in France, and is waiting for European Union health standards approval to market the masks worldwide.
The mask, he says, is made of one sheet of transparent plastic. "The advantage to be manufactured out of only one single material is that our mask is also recyclable," he says.
Bertrand believes that see-through masks can be an advantage for everyone. By allowing people to see each other's faces, he says, these masks help maintain the human connection needed to get through this pandemic.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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The Homer Laughlin China Company™ is pleased to announce the introduction of scented dinnerware to the popular Fiesta® dinnerware line. Well known for its bright and cheerful colors, the Fiesta line will be the first in tabletop ceramics to harness the power of scent.
With a color palette reminiscent of a rainbow, the Fiesta line is already a treat for the senses. Adding fragrance to the mix was a natural next step for the brand, allowing for an overall sensory experience for users.
“With color names like Tangerine and Poppy, it was only a matter of time before we started integrating the Ceramiscent technology into our dishes,” says Sales Manager Jane Doe. Ceramiscent, a revolutionary advancement in fragrance technology, was originally developed to freshen bathroom ceramics in spas across Europe. The Homer Laughlin China Company is the first tabletop manufacturer to adapt the technology for dinnerware use.
What sets Fiesta dinnerware’s scented ceramics apart is the use of organic fragrance compounds which are completely food safe and non-toxic, a necessity for the manufacturer of healthy dinnerware. Each of the fifteen Fiesta scents was meticulously chosen to coordinate with its color namesake. “Pairing scents with colors like Tangerine and Plum was easy, but deciding what Scarlet would smell like was much more involved,” says Doe.
The scented items will hit store shelves next month and are expected to sell quickly.


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The next installment of Need For Speed, expected this year, would ignore old gen consoles according to Jeff Grubb.
It was on his personal show that Jeff Grubb dropped some info on the next installment of Need For Speed and according to its sources, the soft would be expected for this year and would also make a cross on part of the players. As a reminder, NFS 2022 is developed by Criterion (Burnout) with the help of Codemaster Cheshire (MotorStorm), Ghost Games having been ousted after taking care of the last 4 games. He should score a new start for the license.
Need For Speed skips the old gen?
Some will be happy, others not so much (some won’t care too), but according to Jeff Grubb, Need For Speed 2022 would be scheduled for the month of November and will not be released on PS4 or Xbox One.
Need for Speed is coming this year… it’s true, the game should even arrive in November. And if you’re a Need for Speed fan and bought a next-gen console, here’s some news: it’s a next-gen-only game.
Criterion and EA would therefore have definitely gone to the new gen with this next Need for Speednow remains to be seen if this is the original idea, in which case the development would have been entirely dedicated to the PS5 consoles and Xbox Series, or if it is only a last minute reversal. The PC version is not mentioned, but there is no doubt that the platform will be entitled to it.


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Korg Electribe 2 news
Korg updated Electribe 2014 edition to v1.10
Korg recently release firmware v1.10 for the 2014 edition of the Electribe, which adds many new features.
- Hot news
The Korg Electribe is back
Korg introduces today its new products for the fall term, and among them two new versions of the legendary Electribe.


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Please contact Sales at: (212) 520-2765 or email email@example.com
Latest From Pharmasset, Inc.
Show depicts former agency officials approving OxyContin labeling that enabled Purdue to market it as nonaddictive and subsequently refusing pleas to restrict its use.
After an extraordinary year that saw demand patterns and the supply chain upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a major merger that has transformed one of the global off-patent industry’s biggest players, Generics Bulletin’s Top 50 has once again seen significant changes.
Nippon Chemiphar’s generics business continues to recover after two good quarters back-to-back. The Japanese company took time to stabilize after setbacks due to the adverse effect of National Health Insurance drug price revisions, as well as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
SciNeuro’s latest in-licensing deals include three assets for major neurodegenerative diseases from Lilly and Mabylon, but the Chinese bioventure is looking beyond the shopping spree at what it sees as outstanding CNS needs.


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In September, Microsoft announced Windows 10 (there will be no Windows 9) will allow consumers to choose either the familiar interface of Windows 7 or the Windows 8 design (see tinyurl.com/m796ay3). I think most PC users will choose the Windows 7 interface, and that the Windows 8 design will be used mostly on touch-screen tablet computers and smartphones.
Why did Microsoft insist Windows 8 was the wave of the future when many customers objected? Many observers believe it was part of a Microsoft strategy to boost slow-selling Windows smartphones. The idea: if consumers became familiar with Windows 8 on PCs, they’d be more likely to buy Windows phones.
But that didn’t happen. Windows 8 and 8.1 PC sales lagged. Today there are three times as many Windows 7 PCs in use as Windows 8 and 8.1 PCs combined, according to Net Applications, a data analysis firm. Meanwhile, Microsoft lost market share in smartphones. In the third quarter of this year, Windows phones made up 3.3 percent of worldwide unit sales, down from 4.1 percent a year ago, said research firm Strategy Analytics.
Because of all that, I’ll continue to recommend Windows 7 until Windows 10 arrives.
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"Because of all that, I’ll continue to recommend Windows 7 until Windows 10 arrives"
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Are the Most Innovative Companies Just the Ones With the Most Data?12 February, 2018 / Articles
Do you still use Yahoo? Do you still remember MySpace? Compaq? Kodak? The cases of startups with superior ideas dethroning well-established incumbents are legion. This is the beauty of “creative destruction” – the term coined by innovation prophet Joseph Schumpeter almost a century ago. Incumbents have to keep innovating, lest they be overtaken by a new, more creative competitor. Arguably, at least in sectors shaped by technical change, entrepreneurial innovation has kept markets competitive far better than antitrust legislation ever could. For decades, creative destruction ensured competitive markets and a constant stream of new innovation. But what if that is no longer the case?
The trouble is that the source of innovation is shifting – from human ingenuity to data-driven machine-learning. Google’s self-driving cars are getting better through the analysis of billions of data points collected as Google’s self-driving cars roam the street. IBM Watson detects skin cancer as precisely as the average dermatologist because it has been training itself with hundreds of thousands of skin images. Siri and Alexa are getting better at understanding what we say because they never stop learning. Of course, it takes plenty of talented, creative people to build these products. But their improvement is driven less by a human “aha-moment” than by data and improvements in how machines learn from it.
Sometimes companies have to go out and collect a specific kind of data – think of Google’s cars roaming the streets of Silicon Valley. And sometimes companies pay for access to data so that their systems can learn. But more often than not, the data that fuels innovation is being generated by users interacting with an existing digital service. When we accept Siri’s suggestion, it’s feedback to Siri that she got it right. And when we surf away from Amazon’s product recommendation, it’s another feedback signal that we weren’t so happy. It’s the same when a driver in a Tesla takes over from assisted driving, or when we accept (or don’t accept) Google auto-completing our search query. This feedback data is incredibly valuable because it is the raw material feed into machine learning tools; it’s the very resource that fuels data-driven innovation. And the more you have, the better you get. Take self-driving cars as an example. During 2016, self-driving cars by major international car manufacturers improved by roughly a third. That’s a significant jump. But Google collected far more data per car to feed a more advanced machine learning system, and its cars improved by 400%– an amazing jump in innovation, and more than ten times as much as cars utilizing less data.
But if innovation is founded on data rather than human ideas, the firms that benefit are the ones that have access to the most data. Therefore, in many instances, innovation will no longer be a countervailing force to market concentration and scale. Instead, innovation will be a force that furthers them.
This would be a fundamental change to competition, and could cause market after market to become concentrated – as has already been happening in the U.S. If this happens, conventional antitrust measures won’t be much help, because they restrain uncompetitive behavior – but large companies using their data to learn and innovate isn’t illegal. In fact, they’re acting perfectly efficiently, using the benefits of their scale to squeeze novel insights out of troves of data.
The specter of companies with access to data becoming data-driven innovation leaders, leaving smaller competitors and startups behind in the dust, should concern policymakers intent on ensuring that markets stay dynamic and competitive. Their challenge is less to realize the problem than to devise a solution that keeps markets competitive without stifling data-driven innovation on the whole.
Most business leaders, on the other hand, face a very different challenge in this world of data-driven innovation. To compete against digital champions, they will have to overcome not just scale and network effects but especially these new data-driven feedback effects. For many innovative companies, the next few years will be a time of reckoning: as the power of data-driven innovation increases, these more conventional innovators will have to find access to data to continue to innovate. That necessitates at least two huge adjustments. First, they need to reposition themselves in the data value chain to gain and secure data access. That’s difficult if, for instance, all the data is captured upstream in the data value chain. Just ask suppliers in car manufacturing, or book publishers. Second, as innovation moves from human insight to data-driven machine learning, firms need to reorganize their internal innovation culture, emphasizing machine learning opportunities and putting in place data exploitation processes. This is hard because it often runs counter to an engineering culture that has long championed human ingenuity.
The adjustment will be so severe that numerous innovative firms will falter in the coming years, overtaken by more data-savvy competitors. And those that succeed will look very different than they do today. But firms wanting to stay innovative have no other choice. You may be doing well with your innovative company today, but as the source of innovation shifts, you will need to as well.


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A new rumor shared by MacRumors says iOS 17 won’t support the iPhone X, and iPadOS 17 will finally stop supporting the first-generation iPad Pro. While iOS 16 already dropped support for several iPhone models – including the iPhone 7 and the last available iPod touch – this possible new change would make the first iPhone with Face ID announced no longer supported by Apple.
The publication quotes “a source with a prove track record for upcoming software updates,” although it didn’t disclaim when the source was right. That said, MacRumors shares that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 won’t be compatible with most devices that use the A11 Bionic chip or older. The publication says the exceptions are the iPad 6 and 7, which use the A10 Fusion chip, and the second-gen iPad Pro which runs with the A10X Fusion chip.
MacRumors says that the reason why Apple could be dropping support for these devices with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 is due to a bootrom security vulnerability that affects all iPhone and iPad models with the A5 through the A11 processor since the company can’t patch these devices as the bootroom operates “in a read-only state.” With that in mind, these devices can always be jailbroken.
We’ll only know for sure which devices will support iOS 17 starting during the WWDC 2023 keynote, which is set to take place on June 5. There, Apple will announce the new features of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10, and which devices won’t support them.
In addition, the company could finally unveil its long-awaited Mixed Reality headset alongside its rumored xrOS operating system.
That said, even if iOS 17 won’t support the iPhone 8 or the iPhone X, at least we know Apple offered five years of updates and will still patch security fixes in the coming years.
BGR will make sure to give you all the details regarding WWDC 2023 as soon as we learn more about them.


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Last Sunday, April 17, 2016, Keune honored true beauty at the Gashouder in Amsterdam. The turnout was bigger than ever: almost 2,000 national and international hairdressers attended to celebrate the pride and passion for their craft, one that Keune has embraced for almost a century.
Keune’s mission is to bring out the best in each client, together with the hairdresser. Through combining strength with hair professionals, the brand aims to make their clients truly happy and let them feel beautiful. Because you feel most confident when your look reflects your personality – and that’s what Keune means by true beauty.
At Keune, they’re all about real, wearable, gorgeous hair – and there was plenty of it during True Beauty 2016. But at the same time, they wanted to up the ante. Being among fellow hair professionals, Keune aimed to wow their guests with more extreme, creative styles. That’s why legendary Spanish hair artist collective X-Presion and Keune’s creative director Ilham Mestour and her backstage team gave stunning performances, inspiring hairdressers to elevate their craft. Hair artists gave free rein to their creativity and also had impromptu styling sessions on stage.
Diversity matters greatly to the company. Keune aims to reflect society, showing a large variety of creations on stage. With no fewer than 50 models of different ages, body types, genders, and ethnicities, the event was a celebration of diverse beauty. The Keune team, comprised of 20 national and international top stylists, passionately took the crowd on a creative journey.
There are exciting things happening at Keune: at the event, new product lines were introduced, relaunches were announced, and much more. We can’t say a lot about it yet – so stay tuned! After the grand finale, it was time to celebrate with a spectacular afterparty. World-renowned DJ Martin Solveig kicked off, after which DJ AiScream took over the booth. And as you can imagine, the roof was on fire!


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First Lady Michelle Obama, Actress Eva Longoria Join Partnership for a Healthier America and More Than a Dozen Companies to Announce Landmark Effort Encouraging People to Drink More Water More Often
Leading water community supporters will promote new effort on hundreds of millions of packages and products and across digital, out of home and social properties
Watertown, Wis. (Sept. 12, 2013) —First Lady Michelle Obama and actress, director and producer Eva Longoria today joined the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), of which Mrs. Obama is honorary chair, to announce an initiative to encourage everyone to make an easy choice to improve their health and well-being every day: drink more water.
The effort brings together more than a dozen public and private sector partners to encourage people to drink more water more often.
“Since we started the Let’s Move! initiative, I’ve been looking for as many ways as possible to help families and kids lead healthier lives. I’ve come to realize that if we were going to take just one step to make ourselves and our families healthier, probably the single best thing we could do is to simply drink more water,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “That’s it – it’s really that simple. Drink just one more glass of water a day and you can make a real difference for your health, your energy, and the way you feel. So Drink Up and see for yourself.”
In the next year, supporters of the effort will carry the Drink Up logo on nearly 300 million packs of bottled water; more than half a billion bottles of water; 200,000 packages of reusable bottles; and more than 10,000 reusable bottles. Additionally, more than 10,000 outdoor public taps are expected to carry the brand over the next few years. Approximately one billion media impressions have already been committed, including online and digital out of home media.
“PHA was launched a few short years ago to engage the private sector in helping make the healthy choice the easy choice for busy parents and families. Drinking more water is an easy choice that nearly every one of us— regardless of where we live, what we do, or how busy we are—can make every day,” said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler. “We applaud the efforts of the supporters who have joined us today, and we thank them for their contributions to an effort that we hope will serve as a continual reminder that you are what you drink, and when you drink water, you Drink Up.”
PHA is asking people across the country to visit www.youarewhatyoudrink.org to join in a virtual “Cheers!” to water, or to find the initiative on Instagram (www.instagram.com/urH2O), tagging their pictures #DrinkH2O.
PHA’s key supporters in this initiative include:
Water filter companies: BRITA and SOMA are joining the effort. BRITA is teaming up with actress, director, and producer Eva Longoria to design a limited edition bottle that will feature the Drink Up logo as well as adding the Drink Up logo to packages that contain its re-usable filtering bottles. Through its partnership with NBC’s The Biggest Loser, BRITA is also integrating the Drink Up logo and messages into one of the most popular TV shows on air. SOMA is helping promote the effort through the hosted dinners and other elite activations it’s known for, as well as through its social and digital assets.
Public drinking stations: GLOBALTAP will launch a specially designed bottle and filling station for schools and public locations featuring the Drink Up colors and logos. For every public tap station GLOBALTAP installs, one Drink Up tap station will be donated by GLOBALTAP at no charge to a local school. GLOBALTAP plans to have more than 10,000 taps in public locations, and schools within the next few years. Smart Tap will use a unique form of out-of-home marketing by adding the Drink Up logo to its taps, as well as providing financial and social media support for the effort.
Reusable water bottle companies: In addition to BRITA, S’Well Bottle is helping with digital promotion of Drink Up and will create a limited edition S’well Bottle for the initiative, available for purchase nationwide.
Bottled water brands: Aquafina, BEVERLY HILLS 9OH2O, DASANI, EVIAN Natural Spring Water, Hint, Voss, and WAT-AAH! are integrating the initiative’s logo on products, through public events, via print, digital, social and out of home media efforts, and through funding.Additionally, Nestlé Waters North America’s Arrowhead®, Deer Park®, Ice Mountain®, Nestlé® Pure Life®, Ozarka®, Poland Spring®, resource® and Zephyrhills® brands will take part in varied activities, including carrying the logo on certain packaging, home and office delivery trucks, social media messaging and communications within its direct marketing to consumers.
Industry groups, foundations and non-profits: The American Beverage Association is supporting the effort, and its member companies that offer bottled water brands are promoting the initiative in a variety of ways, which include logo placement on bottled water packaging and company trucks, as well as in advertising and through social media. The International Bottled Water Association and its members are actively promoting the effort, while the California Endowment is providing financial support for the initiative. PVBLIC Foundation is aggregating millions of dollars of in-kind value, as well as providing financial support for the effort. Additionally, FoodCorps will incorporate messaging from this effort into schools nationwide.
To inspire people to Drink Up, PHA brought together the best research, marketing, media and creative talents, who donated millions of dollars of time and creative genius to promote the message. Nielsen, a global information and measurement company, served as a leader in this effort, providing critical information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. Antfood Music & Sound Design, BlogHer, Inc., Buck, Cooking Light, Core Strategies, Disney, MyRecipes, Nickelodeon, Proclivity Media, Unite4:Good, VML, Young & Rubicam, and others are bringing the campaign to life with creative and advertising support.
“Lots of people want to live healthier, but life gets busy and sometimes making the healthier choice can seem difficult,” Longoria said. “Drinking more water is a simple, easy choice that most people can make every day. I’m thrilled that so many organizations have come together today to help remind people that you are what you drink, and drinking water is you at your best.”
For more information on the effort, visit www.youarewhatyoudrink.org.
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.


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Microsoft's Office for iPad apps notch 27M downloads in 46 daysAfter a highly anticipated launch in late March, Microsoft's Office for iPad suite of productivity apps is still going strong in the iOS App Store after having accumulated some 27 million downloads as of Monday.
In an announcement at the TechEd Conference on Monday, Microsoft's General Manager for Office Julia White said its iPad suite, which includes native Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps, has hit the 27 million download mark 46 days after its debut in March, reports Business Insider
The news comes after the Redmond, Wash.-based company announced another milestone for the software suite in early April, when it was learned that the collective iPad apps were downloaded 12 million times in one week.
The hotly-anticipated group of apps rocketed to the top of Apple's iOS App Store charts one day after launch and held their high ranking positions for some time. As of this writing, Word is still the fourth most-downloaded free iPad app, while Excel and PowerPoint have dropped to number 22 and 26 in the rankings, respectively.
Being so-called "freemium" apps, Microsoft requires users to purchase an in-app subscription to unlock full software capabilities. For Office, users can view documents for free, but need to have an Office 365 subscription to make edits.
Apple is taking the usual 30 percent cut of all subscription sign-ups, as is the company's policy for all in-app purchases. Office 365 subscriptions cost $99 per year or $9.99 per month.
On Topic: Microsoft
- Microsoft rolls out Cortana for iOS to select beta testers
- Amazon Video, Microsoft OneDrive & Google Drive for iOS update with 3D Touch [u]
- Microsoft Graph promises open developer access to Office 365 data
- Microsoft revamps Bing iPhone app with new interface, offline caching & more
- Apple's iPad Pro boasts 'top tier display,' but falls behind iPad mini 4 & Microsoft Surface Pro 4


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WASHINGTON — A doctor’s advocacy group sued the US Department of agriculture this week claiming that food inspectors have essentially made it legal to have trace amounts of fecal matter in mean.
This product “may contain feces” is a label that the advocacy group suggested that the government require meat distributors to put on the food they send out to grocery stores.
The recommendation is tongue-in-cheek, Deborah Press, an attorney for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), told CNN. The group represents 12,000 physicians whose mission includes promoting plant-based diets and ethical scientific research.
But it gets at the real concerns the PCRM has about the US Department of Agriculture’s food safety inspection system.
The US Department of Agriculture has a “zero tolerance policy for fecal material on meat and poultry,” a spokeswoman told CNN.
USDA said it sends inspectors out to facilities who look at a “statistically valid sample of carcasses randomly selected throughout the production shift.”
If inspectors find fecal material on an animal carcass, they ensure that contaminated meat can’t enter the food supply, USDA said. And if inspectors observe repeat infractions, the FSIS uses “progressive enforcement actions” against the meat company.
But Press says USDA’s current inspection policy isn’t good enough because it only applies to fecal matter that’s “visible” on the production line. The USDA has relaxed its rules on the speed at which poultry companies can process birds. The requirement used to be 140 birds per minute, but has since been raised to 175 birds per minute.
That would mean those working on the line are scanning about three birds per second. They’re whizzing by at a rate that’s hard for the naked eye to comprehend.
Link to the original story here.


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Comcast CEO Brian Roberts (CMCSA) is pretty confident the company will sell its minority stake in streaming service Hulu to Disney (DIS).
Disney currently owns two-thirds of Hulu with Comcast Worldwide controlling the remainder.
Under the terms of the co-ownership agreement, Comcast may require Disney to purchase its stake in the streaming device as early as January 2024.
“I think it’s more likely than not that we will pass,” Roberts said at MoffettNathanson’s inaugural technology, media and communications conference on Tuesday. “We’ve said all along that the vast majority of cases are we’ll put it down [and] They will contact him at the beginning of next year.
Roberts referred to recent earnings call comments made by Disney CEO Bob Iger regarding “positive[s]of general entertainment, adding, “Part of the account of why I think this is likely the case is that I think Disney understands, as anyone else might, that Hulu is really valuable.” “
Under the agreement between Comcast and Disney, Hulu will be priced with a minimum guaranteed equity value of $27.5 billion (or about $9.2 billion for the 33% stake).
“I’m pretty sure if and when we sell our stake in Hulu, it’s going to be higher than what we have in it. In fact, that’s contractually certain,” Roberts said during a conference call on Thursday.
Meanwhile, “it’s not fully established what will happen” once that deadline hits, Iger said on Disney’s latest earnings call.
Hulu boasts just over 48 million subscribers and hosts top-rated shows including Murder on the Block, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Leaker. Hulu subscriber growth was flat in Disney’s latest quarter.
Iger recently changed his view on Hulu after saying earlier this year that “everything was on the table” regarding the streaming giant’s future.
During Disney’s quarterly earnings call on May 11, he explained, “I’ve now spent another 3 months looking at this carefully and determining the best path for us to grow this business. Clearly, the combination of content on Disney+ with general entertainment is very positive.” .
Iger, who said he’s now “optimistic” about bringing together Disney+ and Hulu, revealed that the company will soon offer a single app experience natively that includes Hulu content via Disney+.
“[It’s] A very strong mix from a subscriber perspective, from a subscriber acquisition [and] from a subscriber retention perspective and also from an advertisers perspective.”
Ultimately, Comcast’s Roberts said he believes selling Hulu “will be beneficial to our shareholders” as the company focuses on its own streaming show, Peacock, which recently got its first exclusive live-streamed NFL game.
Peacock currently has about 22 million paying users, Roberts said, with many of them consuming “a lot of digital advertising” – which he called “most valuable advertising”.
He concluded, “We have been the fastest growing SVOD and AVOD aggregate service and we have a very exciting 2023… We are well positioned as a company.”
Alexandra Channel He is a senior correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @employeeAnd linkedin, and email it to [email protected]
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#Comcasts #CEO #Hulu #stake #sold #Disney


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For the third year the U.S. new vehicle sales will stay above 17 million, forecasts say we must expect volume to finish out this year during 17.4 million, descending somewhat brief of 2015’s record of 17.47 million.
Specialists believe automobile sales movement will continue by 2017, upheld by plain altogether U.S. mercantile growth, gasoline prices remaining subsequent $2 a gallon and a jolt off of domestic fallout from a warn choosing of Donald Trump as U.S. president. They also revealed they see an intensity for a second half swell in 2017, maybe pushing sales to 17.3 million or 17.4 million, if deregulation advantages strike quickly. New-car dealerships will sell 15.3. More than 40 million U.S. used vehicles might change hands in 2017.


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Users of YouTube's mobile apps will get an offline viewing mode next month, courtesy of a DRM that expires the "downloaded" video in 48 hours.
Current YouTube policies prohibit the downloading of their videos, despite the wide availability of third-party tools that allows for doing just that.
But with YouTube offering their own official download function, it represents a slight change in tactics for the Google owned website. Offline viewing will allow queued videos to be pre-downloaded and viewed even in the absence of an Internet connections, such as during the morning commute or on a long haul flight.
Uploaders will be able to opt out of the system if they wish to, although they may have very little reason for wanting to do so. In-stream ads will be downloaded with the video content, so revenue is not affected. And even the video views stats will be unaffected, as they are uploaded the next time the app connects to the Internet.
An exact launch date for the offline viewing function is yet to be announced, but sources indicate a November launch if highly likely.
Just last month, Amazon announced a feature in their new Kindle Fire tablets that allows offline viewing of videos that are part of their subscription based streaming service.


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The Ambassador is both warrior and diplomat. He listens to the words of those who deserve influence and guides those in his care as he guides himself. He acts not selfishly but for the betterment of all.
ZDNetGovWeek: Lavabit, NSA, financial services on the front-lines, and Mt. Gox still unhelpful about Bitcoin theft
Conventional wisdom is the NSA used and benefited from the Heartbleed bug. But there's an interesting argument to be made that if the NSA had Heartbleed in its kit bag, it never would have gone after Lavabit. Plus all kinds of cybersecurity fears, Brazil's attempt to rewrite Internet rules, and more...
[UPDATED] A bad update caused users of many Microsoft security products, not just Security Essentials, to experience "interrupted service". The latest update fixes the problem.
Samsung's Galaxy S5 latest to signal that biometrics still not a solid answer on authentication
AMD's chief information officer tells ZDNet how his company's efforts to compete amid financial downturn rest on its innovation efforts, because the chipmaker can't innovate without a solid internal IT system.
The company said in January it learned of the breach and hired security firms to investigate. Michaels also said that it has contained the incident and the malware isn't a threat.
Google engineers have defeated CAPTCHA thanks to a Street View algorithm designed to decipher blurry street addresses.
Who needs a smartphone to make low-value payments when giving the till a high five can do the same job?
Governments should adopt a light touch approach in regulating virtual currencies and instead allow technology to help protect consumer interests, says Singapore-based Bitcoin broker, Coin Republic.
Australia's Privacy Commissioner will not be investigating whether Australian organisations and government agencies have been vulnerable to privacy breaches from the Heartbleed bug until allegations are made about specific organisations.
“50 percent of us are the top scoring students in the national college entrance examination. 50 percent are majored in mathematics, and 50 percent are from Microsoft,” says group's co-founder.


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AP – Twitter’s relaunched premium service – which grants blue-check “verification” labels to anyone willing to pay USD8 a month – was unavailable on Friday after the social media platform was flooded by a wave of imposter accounts it itself had approved.
It’s the latest whiplash-inducing change to the service where uncertainty has become the norm since billionaire Elon Musk took control two weeks ago.
Before that, the blue check was granted to government entities, corporations, celebrities and journalists verified by the platform – precisely to prevent impersonation. Now, anyone can get one as long as they have a phone, a credit card and USD8 a month.
Nintendo, Lockheed Martin, Musk’s own companies Tesla and SpaceX were also impersonated, as well as the accounts of various professional sports and political figures.
For advertisers who have put their business with Twitter on hold, the fake accounts could be the last straw: Musk’s rocky run atop the platform – laying off half its workforce and triggering high-profile departures – has raised questions about its survivability. The impostors can cause big problems, even if they’re taken down quickly.
They have created “overwhelming reputational risk for placing advertising investments on the platform”, said longtime marketing and media executive and former Bank of America head of global media Lou Paskalis. Adding that with the fake “verified” brand accounts, “a picture emerges of a platform in disarray that no media professional would risk their career by continuing to make advertising investments on, and no governance apparatus or senior executive would condone if they did”.
Adding to the confusion, Twittnow has two categories of “blue checks”, and they look identical. One includes the accounts verified before Musk took helm. It notes that, “This account is verified because it’s notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.” The other notes that the account subscribes to Twitter Blue.
But as of midday Friday, Twitter Blue was not available for subscription.
Musk tweeted on Thursday, “too many corrupt legacy Blue ‘verification’ checkmarks exist, so no choice but to remove legacy Blue in coming months.”
They returned on Thursday night, at least for some accounts – including Twitter’s own, as well as big companies like Amazon, Nike and Coca-Cola, before many vanished again.


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By Valentina Pasquali
The frequency and severity of cyberattacks on businesses and organizations across the world have exploded in recent years, and so have the direct and indirect costs they inflict.
Global finance executives spend many a sleepless night worrying about the many risks—old and new—faced by their companies in the current global business environment. An increasing number of those nights are dedicated to the varied ways that their firm could be the target of a cyberattack. Putting an exact figure on what cyber risk means for global business is not easy, but most market watchers agree that the threat is real and still rising. And although executives are increasingly aware of the problem, they continue to lag behind hackers in terms of cyberthreat management. Whether businesses suffer from an underinvestment problem or one of inefficient spending—and views on this issue differ—corporate focus on protecting company’s data, payment systems and overall IT infrastructure will only keep growing for the foreseeable future.
For several days at the end of March the Switzerland-based organization Spamhaus, which manages databases of spammers and blacklisted users for the benefit of Internet service providers, corporations and governments, came under one of the biggest cyberattacks to date. It not only brought down the project’s website and email servers but also slowed down the Internet across Europe.
Around the same time, computer systems at three of the biggest banks and the top two broadcasters in South Korea were the target of a separate cyber hit. Customers were left without access to ATM machines, and some 30,000 computers were damaged.
In the United States, footwear retailer Genesco is suing Visa after the credit card giant fined it $13 million as a result of a 2010 data breach suffered by the company. The penalty was imposed on Genesco because it failed to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, created by Visa, Master Card and American Express, which demands that companies using online transactions abide by certain procedures.
“We are already investing too much but are still ineffective.”
– Professor Rainer Böhme, University of Münster
A recent survey by Deloitte of almost 2,000 executives revealed that 79% were not confident in their company’s current level of protection but only 58% had plans to boost spending on cybersecurity in the next year.
Böhme, University of Münster: Companies are wasting a lot of money
There are several reasons for this disconnect. First of all, cyberattacks are still difficult to detect. According to a recent study by Mandiant, a provider of corporate cybersecurity systems, hackers spend an average 243 days on a victim’s network before they are even identified. Second, cybersecurity is a cost-saving and not a revenue-generating measure, which makes it a less appealing investment to executives, who must always keep an eye on share price. Finally, it can be hard for IT specialists to make the case for higher cybersecurity budgets because when a job is well done, there are no breaches that need fixing to point to.
“This is a resource allocation decision,” says Lawrence Gordon, a professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business of the University of Maryland. “How should companies go about deciding how much to spend on IT security?”
According to a 2012 survey of technology managers in the US conducted by US research center the Ponemon Institute and Bloomberg, organizations that want to achieve the highest possible level of IT security—capable of repelling 95% of attacks—would have to boost spending from the current $5.3 billion (combined) to $46.6 billion, nearly a ninefold increase. Even to be able to stop just 84% of attacks, they would have to approximately double their investments.
Shackelford, Indiana University: Few firms are demanding data about breaches
Not everyone is convinced that the solution is to spend more money. “We are already investing too much but are still ineffective,” says Professor Rainer Böhme of the University of Münster in Germany. “Companies are wasting a lot of money; they are buying antivirus software because everybody tells them to, and if they don’t do it they are personally liable.”
For Professor Gordon of the University of Maryland, it is important to remember that a 100% level of security is neither attainable nor particularly desirable, as it would not offer a good return on investment. The key, he says, is finding the “optimal level” of investment. In 2002, together with Professor Martin Loeb, also of the Smith School of Business, Gordon came up with a model to help companies think more clearly about cybersecurity and the level at which cyber security investments provide the best ROI. “On average, you don’t want to spend more than approximately 37% of potential losses,” he notes.
BY THE NUMBERS
Many have tried to put a price tag on the global cost of cybercrime. IT security firm McAfee came up with a global estimate of around $1 trillion for the year 2010. However, this assessment has been disputed, and critics have pointed out that businesses like McAfee have a conflict of interest in publishing eye-catching numbers on cybercrime while pushing the sale of cybersecurity products.
According to Scott Shackelford, assistant professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, there are other reasons why we don’t have a clear picture yet. “First, few are demanding data about breaches,” he says. “Second, companies rarely feel compelled to compile, organize and transmit data on their own. And third, there may not be sufficient perceived benefit in reporting cyberattacks because of a lack of confidence in law enforcement.”
In 2012 the Ponemon Institute tried, nevertheless, to get some numbers out. It surveyed executives at dozens of companies and organizations in five countries and found that, as a result of cyberattacks, they had spent an annualized average ranging from a high of $8.9 million in the US to a low of $3.2 million the United Kingdom, with in-between points of $6.0 million in Germany, $5.1 million in Japan and $3.4 million in Australia.
Another study run by Ponemon in the US, the UK, Germany, Brazil and Hong Kong found that the price an average firm paid to recover from a single successful cyberattack went from a high of $298,359 in Germany to a low of $106,904 in Brazil.
Costs come in a variety of forms. They include direct disruption of operations and payment transactions and theft of sensitive data such as trade secrets and credit card information. But they also generate indirect losses such as legal liability and long-lasting harm to a business’s brand. They may even damage the stock market value of publicly traded companies. A 2006 study by four Japanese researchers found that the Japanese stock market showed “statistically significant reactions around 10 days” after news reports of information security breaches came out. “Japanese market responses were slower than in the US, where they happened the next day,” says Kanta Matsuura, professor of information security and security management at the University of Tokyo and one of the co-authors of the study.
GROWING AWARENESS AND A BOOMING INDUSTRY
With news of successful cyberattacks dominating global headlines, the corporate response is mounting. IT research and advisory company Gartner estimates that the five-year compound annual growth rate of the worldwide cybersecurity market between 2010 and 2016 will hover around 9%, nearly double that of overall global IT spending. A report published in February 2013 by Burning Glass, a group that produces job market intelligence, found that in the US demand for cybersecurity jobs has expanded 3.5 times faster over the past five years than for computer jobs overall and 12 times faster than the labor market as a whole.
Insurance companies are also launching new cyberproducts, and premiums are rising. According to the Betterley Report, which monitors this industry, premiums for 2012 came close to $1 billion in the US alone and are predicted to rise by another 20% this year.
“AIG handled a claim for a national retailer who wasn’t able to process in-store and online credit card transactions for nearly 48 hours,” says John Gambale, head of professional liability & Lexington Financial lines at AIG, the insurance giant that now underwrites cyber risk policies in 30 countries around the world. “Because the insured purchased network interruption coverage, AIG worked with a forensic accountant and the insured to calculate the lost profits of $1.4 million and then processed the reimbursement in full.”
Professor Shackelford of Indiana University recalls the case of Brookeland Fresh Water Supply in East Texas, which had $35,000 stolen by cybercriminals. Thanks to an insurance policy, the company ended up paying only a $500 deductible. “This form of insurance can be a godsend for smaller firms with cyber risk exposure,” says Shackelford. “The concern, however, is that it will make firms that much more reactive, putting off proactive investments until they are forced to.”
Primary sectors victimized by corporate cybercrime
This is the choice John Perry faced in 2006 as he became the director of information services at NACE, a nonprofit focused on corrosion mitigation with an annual gross revenue of about $30 million. “When I arrived, the security of the network and Web server was very relaxed and intrusions were common, on an almost monthly basis,” he says. “I would definitely have considered buying into something like that [insurance] back then.” Instead, he decided to increase his IT security budget. Perry says he now invests around $35,000 a year in cybersecurity. “As you might imagine, in 2006 that number [the organization’s IT security budget] was in the hundreds, not thousands,” he adds.
The fight against cybercrime is far from over. Since the battle between intruders and defenders is a cat-and-mouse game and as businesses are growing more and more reliant on the Internet, corporate cybersecurity costs will continue to rise. And so will IT security budgets.
NOBODY IS IMMUNE
Cyberattacks used to be something only for governments—and for private companies that operated in the national security, financial services and critical infrastructure sectors—to worry about. Nowadays, everybody is a potential target for hackers. And anyone might be a hacker.
“We see the continuation of a trend over the next couple of years we call ‘democratization of digital skills,’ with hacking becoming available to average people through downloadable, inexpensive software,” says Richard Torrenzano, chairman and chief executive of the reputation management firm Torrenzano Group. “Everyone will have 15 minutes of shame in the future.”
The 2013 Trustwave Global Security Report, assembled by IT security services provider Trustwave, found that last year the primary sectors victimized by cybercriminals were retail (with 45% of the incidents analyzed), food & beverage (24%) and hospitality (9%).
Small and medium-size enterprises are in just as much danger as large corporations, partly because they cannot afford the same level of security.
“Nobody is immune from this problem,” says Kelly Bissell, who leads Deloitte’s Information & Technology Risk Management practice. “Anyone that has anything of value is a target for attack, and if you don’t have anything of value, then you are not really a business.”
THE NEW CHIEF ELECTRICITY OFFICER
A comparison is often made between cybersecurity and electricity. For companies to run efficiently, both have to be there at all times, but the fact that they are doesn’t get anybody excited. Rather, when we turn on a switch and the room remains dark, we get angry. The same is true for IT defenses—it is when a breach occurs that we suddenly pay attention to them.
Back when electricity was as new and exciting as the Internet is today, several big companies in the US had a chief electricity officer in charge of managing fluctuations in the power supply. “But the reign of the chief electricity officer was brief,” notes technology writer Nicholas Carr, in his blog. “As with electricity, IT is fated to become a basic component of traditional business functions rather than a specialized resource requiring its own managerial bureaucracy.”
This future, however, is still years away, especially in terms of cybersecurity, as systems remain highly vulnerable and the technology involved continues to change. For the time being, the role played by corporate IT security will continue to expand across the world.


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WASHINGTON — A healthcare accrediting organization is revising three products in its Pharmacy Quality Management suite of programs.
URAC said its pharmacy committee approved revisions to its mail service, specialty pharmacy, and workers' compensation and property and casualty for pharmacy benefit management accreditation programs. The products revised include:
Mail-service pharmacy, version 2.0;
Specialty pharmacy, version 2.0; and
Workers' compensation and property and casualty for pharmacy benefit management, version 2.0.
URAC also introduced new performance measures to benefit the mail-service and specialty pharmacy programs, including dispensing accuracy, medication adherence, generic dispensing rates, prescription turnaround time and overall consumer satisfaction.
"It is vital that, in this healthcare environment, URAC standards remain current. By incorporating measures into the pharmacy standards, URAC can facilitate quality improvement and innovation in the industry," said Alan Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "Additionally, URAC's goal is to encourage organizations to focus on outcomes for consumers and a dedication to patient safety."
Visit URAC.org/pqm/ for more information about these revised standards.